9th Sense
by Tsuriko
Summary: A new recruit joins Section 9, turning some things upside-down. An action & romance fic. OC x Saito pairing. Please, before commenting take the pains to read the note on my profile. Thank You and enjoy!
1. 0909

When he first saw her he thought of how childish she looked. He saw her files, and he knew she was twenty seven and an Imperial War Academy graduate, but still… She was unlike Motoko in any respect. She was slim and not very tall. She wore her long, brown hair loose and never had any make-up. She dressed more like a girl from college, than anything else. And, what for some strange reason he remembered best, she wore a little silver cross.

''A kid playing soldier'' he thought, and everyone in Section 9, with a small exception of the Chief, was probably thinking the very same thing. And when the newbie left the room after some introductions, everyone was close to saying the same; chief, you are out of your mind!

''Chief, for pity's sake, she's just a kid'' said Batou, looking at her file ''Twenty seven! She's fresh from the Academy..''

''Actually, she is not'' Motoko looked a bit surprised ''For three years she served in Africa, in the International Peace Corps.''

''And she did very well there. Don't let her looks and low cyber implants percentage fool you.'' Replied the Chief.

''Low? She's like Togusa in that respect."

"As if that was something bad!" Togusa felt a sudden sympathy for the newcomer.

" And look at her training!'' Batou was unimpressed. ''A negotiator!? Great, if we want to tell the bad guys that we are coming. And greet them with flowers.''

''That is the last thing I was thinking about when I picked her out'' Aramaki smiled ''She was third in her year.''

''Why didn't we get the first, or the second than?''

''You'll find out'' said the Chief, grinning.

''Chief…'' Motoko shook her head. "We want to know if we can allow ourselves to trust her abilities."

''Do you know why she was third?'' asked Aramaki. No one said anything, so he continued.

''She could be first, I think. Great shooting skills, and did well in hand-to-hand combat. In Africa she negotiated with rebels to free hostages, and succeeded. But she preferred to be the third, instead of being a brown nose, unlike the first two students. That was the first and the last thing I wanted to know about her,''

'' Great. So, does this walking perfection have a name?'' groaned Batou ironically, but the Chief's arguments begun to make him look differently at the newbie.

''Yes. Morgan. Hana Morgan''

''You meant 'Hannah'.''

"No, I meant what I said."

"She's half-Japanese. Her mother is from here", Ishikawa looked at the rookie's family history.

"Oh, God, what kind of an idiot would give his kid a flower name?"

"I bet her mother not once thought that her daughter would end up with us. A pretty face…" Pazu looked at Hana's photo. "I bet she wanted her to be a good little wife to some wealthy man."

"And the girl ended up here, poor thing. Make her feel at home, Paz" Motoko rolled her eyes.

"That is tempting…"

"She's a soldier whom will be covering your ass later, and it will be better if you would not forget that. Personally, I'd hate to have an ex-girlfriend with a Seburo behind my back."

"Well, maybe Paz is suicidal" Saito looked through the glass door to see the newbie. With a chocolate bar in her mouth, she was trying to force one of the dispenser machines to spit up her change. When it didn't, she gave it an angry kick, as everyone here when it jams. Saito noticed her shoes now – boots rather. Heavy, military shoes with metal toes. Worn and frayed. Like his own, actually.

"Well' she's sure learning fast" he said, smiling. Perhaps there was some hope for her after all.

For the next few days Hana had her training along with the Section, 'to know your new friends better'. She also received a code number, 0909, and Batou said she'll be the Sections mascot. He called Maneki Neko. She swallowed the offense from him, but then Paz called her like that during martial arts training. She was great with Tai kick-boxing, and she was enthusiastic to use it on the man. She was very disappointed to find out that Paz was a cyborg. They all thought she would run to the Chief screaming for help, but surprisingly she didn't. Even though she had no chance with cyborgs like Batou or Paz, she stood her ground. After some initial success, she got beaten again and again. She was getting tired, the cyborgs were not and Togusa finally called it a day. Hana quietly left the room, with not even one word of complaint.

"Man, what are you trying to do?" Togusa shrugged "Kill her and free us of the burden?"

"Don't be such a sissy, Togusa."

"Oh, if not trying to break her arm means that I'm a sissy, than great! I am one."

"We were just trying out her abilities. Not bad for a hatchling."

"You two are impossible."

"We just like our job…" shrugged Batou, and Togusa sighed, hoping that the 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' saying will be true for Hana.

Hana angrily threw her training clothes into her cabinet and sat on a bench, with a towel on her head. She was beaten few times in a row, and this was a blow to her pride as a soldier. Of course she knew that both men were cyborgs, and that she could do little to them, but still… Getting her butt kicked was humiliating. When she was trying to cool herself down someone came in.

"Hey, Neko" it was Paz. She groaned something like 'Hi', and ignored him further on. That was enough to trigger his curiosity. Usually women liked him.

"Mad at us?"

"No…" she mumbled, and it was an obvious lie.

"You are pretty when you are like that, anyone told you so?" he tried.

"And anyone told you, that you're an ass-hole?"

"Oh, harsh language already? I'm trying to be nice." He tried to look offended, but she didn't look impressed or moved by it.

"Ten minutes ago you almost dislocated my shoulder," she stood up, putting on her navy button-up shirt. "And that flirting line is just lame…" She said, smiling and walking out just before Paz was able to talk again. She hoped she scared him away, but she just got him interested.

Major stood nearby, watching the whole scene. The girl had guts, that was one thing she had to admit. She saw purple bruises on Hana's back and arms – the boys gave the newbie a hard time adjusting. But the Major also saw that the fact the she rookie did not run around complaining and whining won her some sympathy. She may even adjust after all.

Hana sipped come coffee, and suddenly felt a need to wash her teeth. Whatever this was, it wasn't coffee. Tar, maybe. But not coffee. It was ten o'clock in the morning, her kidneys were already killing her. Not literally maybe, but she sure got her share of bruises today. She got up at five to get here on time and needed something to stop her eyes from closing. She threw the cup in the bin, and sighted. She lay on the couch, trying to remain conscious. She was tired and beaten, and had quite enough of this place already. Suddenly the door opened, and someone came in. She looked back and saw the Section's sniper came in. He was a grave, quiet man, and somewhat scary with his hawk-eye, but she has seen him shoot. She thought she saw a good sniper once, but this guy was… Awesome, was the least she could think of. That immediately earned him her respect, especially since he didn't beat her as much as the two cyborgs did.

Saito didn't see her at first, but when he did notice, he had to admit she looked like… Well, crap. She looked really tired, and her hair was a wet mess, as if she came right from the shower and didn't have the strength to brush them properly.

"Early bird, aren't you" he said, sitting opposite. She gave him a weary look. He hadn't notice it before, but she had hazel eyes.

"Couldn't sleep. Time zones are killing me" she said honesty. She didn't get used to them just yet, and apart from that she was beaten to a pulp.

"I'll buy you a coffee."

"Sure, if you want it thrown back at you…"

"Oh, I see you've tried it already."

"Where do you get that stuff anyway? Oil shafts?"

'Nah, Chief is just stingy when it comes to supplies. Come, instead I'll take you to Section 9's secret caffeine heaven" he stood up, but she was looking at him with distrust in her hazel eyes. "Something's wrong?"

"Twenty minutes ago the other two showed me my place here. You are nice to me. That's a bit under the cloud."

"I see… You think that we are going to make some pranks. Put you under a trial."

"And aren't you?" she asked, and Saito smiled.

"Personally, I'm too old for that. But you can expect that from Batou."

"So, no salt in my coffee? Or rubber snakes in my cabinet?"

"Not from me at least."

"Fine for me…" she yawned, thinking that she actually didn't care about anything that anyone could do to her, if that would give her a chance for caffeine.

Section 9's heaven was in fact a small coffee shop. The owner greeted Saito with a smile and a wave of his chubby arm.

"The regular order?" he asked.

"And the biggest… What will it be?" Saito turned to Hana.

"Latte."

"And a latte, the biggest you have." They sat in a corner. After a minute Hana realized that this particular table was not just randomly chosen – it was the best place if one wanted to observe the whole coffee shop, without being too much see himself. For some reason she was not surprised that the sniper chose this place from any other in the café.

"Nice little lady" the owner said, when Saito was paying for his order, "Never saw you with a girl before, except for that weird purple-haired cyborg."

"The purple weirdo is my boss. The brunette is my new colleague" Saito shook his head. The owner had been running this shop for twenty years now, and Saito and the rest of the Section were regular customers for almost a decade. He never asked about their job and Saito liked the chap, but he was nosy at the same time, always asking them about their personal lives and gossiping. He was the only one to know the names of all Paz's girlfriends, apart maybe from Paz himself.

"Too bad, she's pretty."

"And almost ten years younger."

"Perhaps she likes that."

"And maybe pigs fly. She's not my type, anyway." Saito was trying to cut the conversation short, but the owner just laughed.

"And I'm a schoolgirl." He said, which was obviously a way to show what did he think about what the sniper said. The owner was a stout elderly man, with whiskers reminding Saito of oakum.

"Hello, Lucy" the sniper groaned "Geez, I'm buying her a coffee, not proposing. "

"Then perhaps I'll get a chance."

"Good luck…" Saito took the order and placed the paper cup in front of Hana. She looked as if she dozed off, but when he sat down she opened her eyes and smiled faintly.

"Thanks…"

"The owner wants to propose to you." Saito said, with a perfect poker face. Hana almost choked with her latte.

"Tell me you are kidding."

"I am."

"Good. I won't have to shoot anyone." She sipped her coffee slowly, since it was still hot.

"You have a boyfriend than?" not that he cared, he was just curious.

"I broke up with the last one three months ago, and I'm sick of men who are trying to make a good housewife out of me. As if I liked to wash their socks and make breakfast."

"You'll be much too busy for anything like that anyway" Saito could not imagine her doing house chores.

"Sorry if I sound cranky" she sighed, relaxing. "I didn't know what to expect here. You guys have been working with each other for years, and I'm new. In my wildest dreams I didn't imagine that anyone would take for out during my first week here."

"Batou and Paz have given you a hard time already. I don't feel like joining, because I actually remember I was a rookie once too."

"I'm glad to hear that not everyone thinks I'm useless here…" she said, toying with the little silver cross she had on a chain. Saito reached out and held it – it looked ridiculously small in his firm hand.

"Nice."

"It belonged to my grandmother. It's almost two hundred years old."

"A good luck charm?"

"Maggie… I mean my grand mom… was devastated when I went to Africa. Not that she was against female soldiers. She was scared that I might be killed – that was her only concern. She gave me that, because she believes that it will protect me."

"And did it?" Saito's question sounded ironically, but he never believed luck, just skills and talent. And probability of something happening, but not luck.

"So far I got shot only once" she smiled, and Saito hid his surprise. He never though she was in real combat at all, not mentioning being shot. He was about to say something, but suddenly they heard the Major's voice on the comlink.

"_Get your tails up here. Something's up!"_

"Trouble?" asked Hana, finishing her coffee and standing up.

"It's always trouble when they are calling for us…" replied the sniper, standing up and rushing towards she door.


	2. The Weakest Link

When they had reached the gathering room everyone else was already there. The screen on the wall was showing the news – an old-styled building was surrounded by police and reporters with cameras. The voice was turned off however, and they stood too far to read anything. When they came in Aramaki frowned and looked at him watch.

"And where have you been?" asked Aramaki.

"Out for a coffee." Saito sat next to Borma, Hana seated herself on the couch's armrest.

"You have a coffee machine here."

"If you call that coffee, of course…" Saito sighed "Did you call us to chat about that?"

" Of course not." the Chief "Twenty minutes ago the Spanish embassy has been attacked and twelve employees were taken hostage."

"What do those guys want?" asked Ishikawa, looking through the files on the desk. They were gathered and printed hastily, but covered most of the terrorists' personal data.

"As far as we know, they demand freeing of Erian Covas."

"Covas?" Batou looked bewildered. "Who to hell is that guy?"

"A member of the Human Liberation Front." replied the Chief, switching the view on the screen . Now it showed a photo of a middle-aged man with a beard, which was probably supposed to cover a scar on his cheek and jaw, but the mark was still visible.

"This is Covas, but he used to be known under several aliases. He was responsible for a number of terrorist attacks on clinics and hospitals that offered cyber implants and other facilities that are connected with the cyborg industry. He had been captured two years ago, extradited to Spain, and sentenced to death. He is now waiting for execution."

"I see his pals waited till the last moment to try and save him. The date is two weeks from now." Ishikawa shook his head.

"Well, the Spanish government expected problems during the trial and the execution, and they sent warnings to all their embassies, but they never imagined that the Front would give a try at embassies out of Europe."

"The Front must have been planning this for months!" whispered Batou, with a bit of admiration in his voice.

"The operation was in fact well-organized and carried out. These men are pro. A real horror for the SWAT team."

"Well, again it seems we have to take charge and clean up the mess," sighed Motoko. "Are there any other demands?"

"The usual, like a helicopter, but with no pilot. Kayabuki has two hours to answer, and we already know that she will refuse."

"Two hours is enough to take them down, what's the problem than?" Motoko's eyebrows went up.

"Section 6 is in charge, unfortunately. They had to ask for our help, still… they give the orders."

"That sucks, Chief!" Paz lighted a cigarette. "What are we needed there for then? To look nice?"

"It would be difficult for you to serve as a decoration," the Chief replied coldly "I have asked prime minister Kayabuki to give us priorities before Section 6 has the chance to mess up something."

"How long will it take to prepare appropriate documents?" asked the Major, looking at the data. They had one hour and twenty minutes left to the deadline.

"I hope to get all the necessary papers by the time we arrive at the embassy. Not, get moving!"

'Yes, sir!" nine voices sound like one, when everyone went to get ready for action.

Hana adjusted her open finger gloves. She really felt weird in her new grey and black uniform. It was tight, which made her feel almost naked, but it was comfortable as well. The bullet-proof jacket was not Kevlar, as in the old days, but liquid gel that became hard as concrete when anything solid hit it. She kind of liked how it looked, too. Then she braided her hair and was ready to go. The Section had a big, armored truck to move around, and this time they planned to use it. It looked big on the outside, it the inside was full of electronic devices, which made it much less comfortable than it seemed. Hana sat inside and checked her weapon. It was a small Kahr MK40 handgun, which compared to everyone else's guns seemed useless. But it was small, light, easy to hide and wonderfully accurate.

"Hey, Neko!" it was Borma, who snapped her out of her reverie.

"Next time I won't react when someone calls me that!" she hissed, almost like a real cat "What is it?"

"The Major noticed that you prefer a Kahr handgun instead of a Seburo…"

"So what?"

"She said that during the assault you have to use a Seburo" he handed her a gun much bigger than her favorite weapon. She examined it with no enthusiasm.

"It's too heavy. It's good cyborg weapon, but…"  
"That was an order" after that she did not argue anymore and put it into a holster behind her back. It felt heavy and uncomfortable.

"The Major sure is strict about things like that, isn't she?"

"Some doubt that she is a woman and claim that she's a guy in a chick's body."

"I wouldn't be surprised…" Hana smirked. "But it doesn't matter as long as she giver reasonable orders, does it?"

"Smart girl," Borma smiled, patting her head.

"Man, when are you guys going to give it up?"

"When it becomes less funny."

"Oh, and by the way, Neko…" Batou finished reassembling his rifle and stood up. Hana felt a sudden need to throw something heavy at him. "It's your first time here. If you survive you'll have to throw a party."

"If I survive?"

"You never know. But don't be alarmed, Paz here will watch over you," Batou grinned.

"Paz? Isn't Saito your usual partner?" she turned to the ex-gangster. He nodded.

"True, but today he's doing that he was made for."

"Sniping."

"Exactly…"

"Cut the chatting. He have confirmed the situation," it was the Major, and she was sending them the data they needed through cyberbrain link. "They've cut the lift off."

"You mean, it's out of order?"

"I mean that it is lying smashed to pieces in its shaft."

"That means yes?"

"Why would they do that?" asked Hana.

"To make us wonder?" said Saito, rubbing his chin "Or to secure, that no one will use it. There are twelve terrorists there. At least two must guard the hostages. I'd say four stand guarding the entrances. That makes six. They are short on man power."

"Especially since there is a leader, and his direct subordinate, who is usually his bodyguard. The boss almost never risks coming out, and keeps his ape with him," Hana folded her arms on her chest.

"That makes eight," said the Major. "The rest is probably patrolling the building."

"The point is they are well-organized, no amateurs," the Major said "We will have to watch every step, especially since Section 6 would be more than happy to trip on us."

"When do we begin?" Asked Ishikawa.

"If everything goes well and the Chief won't screw up with Kayabuki, at four hundred hours."

"Great, now we only have to wait for the Monkey to do the paperwork…" Batou starched out and put his arms under his head.

Aramaki could not believe what he had just heard, and he walked out of Kayabuki's office barely hiding disgust. Section 6 got there first, and though prime minister Kayabuki agreed that the assault will most probably be needed, she ordered negotiations first. "The Europe sees Japan as a violent country, where everything is resolved by force" she said, "And we must show that they are wrong." Aramaki had no idea how Section 6 talked her into this but they must have had pretty good arguments. The problem was who they picked out to go. The weakest link of Section 9.

"Major?" he asked through comlink'

"Yes"?

"We have a change of plans…"

When he broke the news to them, everyone was astonished, including the Major. What Kayabuki ordered literally meant rolling over. That was more than Section 9 could bear.

"She wants what?!" shouted Batou. "Who the hell she thinks she is?"

"The prime minister?" reminded Ishikawa "She has the right to order that. What worries me the most is how easily Section 6 influenced her. "

"I think we should discuss this later… Who is to go?" asked the Major coldly.

"Morgan" said she chief dryly. Everyone looked at the girl in dead silence.

"What?!" Batou suddenly stood up "Are you nuts? Did you agree to that…?!"

"I had no other choice."

"But…" Batou wouldn't give in, but suddenly Hana touched his arm.

"It's okay," she said, but her lips trembled a bit. "It's an order, and I'm the only one who has ever done this before. " she looked at the Major, who nodded in silence.

"But why her?" asked Togusa.

"Sending in a cyborg would be like an insult to them…" replied Kusanagi. "Get ready, Morgan."

"Roger."

And she went out. Motoko bit her thumb, trying to think the whole thing over.

"Ishikawa, try to turn off the communication jamming. Saito, find some good place and sit there. Morgan may need your backup, she's smart enough to keep close to the windows, so you may have a chance to see her. Rest of you, usual pairs and get ready for the assault. And Saito, why you are preparing a sniping spot check on Morgan."

"Yes, sir!"

Hana took off her holsters and put them aside with both guns. She will miss their reassuring weight, but they will search her and having a gun was in this situation like begging to be shot in the head. Now the jacket was her only protection. She had a bad feeling about it anyway, but orders were orders. She was reassured that the rest of the Section was behind her back, ready to take action, but still… No one ever knew what could happen, and she was without any weapon.

Saito came in the moment she was unbraiding her hair. She must have noticed that he looked surprised, because she smiled and explained.

"The more harmless I appear the better. If they take me lightly, they will not try to shoot me right away. Even if something goes wrong it is possible that they will rather choose to take me hostage, than eliminate me."

"Are you sure you are all right?" Saito didn't look convinced.

"You can tell the Major that I may be a rookie here, but I served my share elsewhere," she said with a deep sigh. Saito almost laughed.

"You can tell it that herself, when you get back. I'll try to keep an eye on you. "

"Just one?"

"I have no more, as you see. Remember, that you are buying when you get back"

"You guys are all jerks."

"And we love it," the sniper smiled. She smiled back, and after getting ready went past the police cordon. Saito then climbed a TV truck, silencing the angry cameraman with one glace. Through his rifle's scope he could see the building clearly. After a minute he also saw Hana, coming towards the gate with both her hands in the air. He also caught a glimpse of another optical scope, so there had to be another sniper there. He wished he could just take him down, but ha had no reason to do so. He only could wait and see the outcome for now.

"I am a negotiator, and I am coming unarmed!"

Inside the building two men looked through the window. What they saw was quite a surprise – there was a young woman coming towards the building.

"Boss, can you see this?" asked one through a radio, and when he received a confirmation he aimed his semi-automatic rifle. "Should I take the bitch down?"

"No, perhaps they actually want to negotiate. And if anything, she will be a valuable hostage."

"Understood." He stood up, took out his handgun and came towards the door. He opened just a little, to see through.

" I am a…"

"We heard that already! Come to the door!" she shouted. The young woman came closer, and when she tried to push the opened door, he grabbed her writs, dragging her inside. Before she knew it, she was held against the wall, her arm twisted behind her back. Immediately after that she felt something cold on her spine. A gun barrel.

"I'm a…"

"Shut your mouth. Turn around. Slowly." She did all he required, feeling a drop of sweat running down her neck. When she turned as he wanted, he held her chin and made her look up.

"The military use children as soldiers?" he asked, and she noticed a scornful tone in his voice. Good for her, actually.

"I want to talk about your requests."

"There is nothing to talk about. Either you fulfill them, or see dead bodies…"

"You ask for things that can take longer to complete than two hours," she tried.

"Maybe a dead body will…"

"Shut up, Marcos," she heard another voice. A man was standing on the stairs, dressed in jeans and a green tee. He was older than the others, so he was probably the leader.

"Ramirez…"

"Is that a way to treat a lady?" she asked. He came near, took her hand and kissed it gently. That was something she did not expect.

"She's no…"

"She's a woman, and a guest. Mind your manners, gentlemen," he said. "Please, come with me. I think you came to talk business."

"Yes, I have." she narrowed her eyes. He was different from the shady bunch that was strolling through the embassy. She did not see any hostages, so they must have kept them elsewhere. The man called Ramirez took her to something, she thought his personal headquarters. The young man named Marcos wend right after them and closed the door.

"Marcos, be as good as to bring us something to drink," Ramirez showed her a seat. His hospitality was suspicious, but she decided to play the game. And when the younger of men left the room, Ramirez sat down and put his hands together.

"Now, young lady…"  
"I'm Lieutenant Hana Morgan."

"Well, lieutenant, you came to talk to us. And I'm not fooled by how charming you look. They sent a pretty face to make idiots out of us, but I've seen too much to grab the hook."

"Well, it was worth a try" she saw no point in disagreeing.

"Talking to you will be more entertaining, than some middle-aged guy, but you are a soldier nonetheless, and I'm going to treat you as one.

"So what was the point of…?"

"Being a revolutionary, or terrorist if you prefer, doesn't have to mean bad manners. But now, let us get to the point…"

"Report."

"She entered the building and I have no longer visual contact." said Saito.

"I'm working on the communication jamming, but still no luck," Ishikawa sounded irritated.

"Let's give Morgan a chance. "

"Like we have a choice?"  
"Half an hour. If you cannot confirm the situation visually, we'll have to carry out the assault." The Majors voice was stern and calm. Thanks to the thermo-optic camouflage the managed stay unseen for now, and they decided to wait, but still they got ready to storm the building in case the negotiations went wrong. Major almost felt the tension of all the members that were waiting for the outcome of the situation. Waiting was not their specialty, but for now they had no other choice…


	3. Feeling at home

Hayasaka Amoro was impatiently clangouring his fingers against the table. Twenty seven minutes passed from the moment when that Section 9 rookie went inside, and up to this moment there was no sign of her. No communication. No new requests. No dead bodies either, but for Hayasaka that meant nothing. Negotiations sometimes lasted for hours, but patience was not Section 6 chief's greatest merit.  
Twenty eight minutes...  
He is giving that rookie seven more minutes. Then he will order the assault to be carried out. He did not care what Aramaki will think about it – after the hostages are safe, no one will listen to that monkey-faced fool. And Section 6 will again be on top of the list…  
"Captain Takawa, prepare your men for the attack," he said.  
The officer looked surprised.

"But, sir… That young woman from Section 9 is still there. Nothing suspicious has happened, no gunshots or new requests, so she is probably doing well there. We might actually…" he wanted to say that they might get by without use of force, but Hayasaka stood up from, and banged his hand against the table.

"Nonsense, captain! If she was doing well she would have contacted anyone. We must then assume that she did not manage to convince the terrorists, and so we must think of the hostages held there."  
The soldier was silent for a moment, and looked at his superior as if he could not believe what he just heard.

"Sir, excuse my boldness, but I must say this. This is not a good decision. My experience tells me that an assault is an unnecessary risk, both to the hostages and my men…"  
"With all due respect to you and your experience, captain…" hissed Hayasaka. "Don't think. Follow orders. That was what you have been taught."  
The captain stiffened for a split second, as if he wanted to say something more, but he held his tongue.

"We will be ready in three minutes…"  
"Good."

***

"So you see, you place Kayabuki in a very unfavourable position," Hana bent back in her chair. For the past twenty minutes she was talking, and Ramirez listened. He almost never interrupted, and she managed to uphold eye contact with him. Things were going smoothly, at least for now.  
"She wants the hostages to return to their homes unharmed, but at the same time she must remember about the zero-tolerance policy. Some of the politicians probably remind her about it every ten minutes or so…"

"Then maybe we should…" Marcos clamped his palm into a fist, but Ramirez calmed him down with one glance, and turned to the woman again.

"Continue…"

"Half of her cabinet is against subjecting to your requests, the other half is for negotiating with Spain to bring Covas to Japan. But that takes time, and I hope you understand that it is more, than mere two hours…"  
"What do you ask then?" Ramirez

"Time. And it would look good to let the most injured or sick hostages go. I believe there was a pregnant woman here, and a man who had serious heart problems."

"The woman is safe, and we will let her go in exchange for some supplies. The man stays," Ramirez looked at his subordinate with a frown, that told Hana everything.

"He is dead…" she whispered. "Why…?"

"Heart attack. We tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. "

"I think I will be able to convince my boss that this was an accident and that you tried to help him."

"And exactly why would you want to do that?" Marcos pointed his gun at her. "You want us dead anyway!"  
"Moron. I don't care about you, to be honest," she said boldly. "But I want the hostages alive, so it is in my interest to make you satisfied. You are the one holding the guns," her answer made him snarl, but he did put the gun down. Instead he started to walk to and fro along the longer wall of the room., like some angry animal in its' cage. The young man was almost obsessive, and he was the one Hana should watch out for. Ramirez was intelligent and cold-blooded, a man who listens to reason. She was much more comfortable with a man like him, because she could always try to convince him. Marcos on the other hand was fanatical, so convincing him would be like trying to talk to a concrete wall, and those were not known for being most talkative or reasonable. Luckily enough it was Ramirez who was in charge. He was skilled, and experienced, and if he had not joined the Human Liberation Front he would make a great officer.  
"Okay, I think we have an agreement – at least for now." The man stood up. "But you'll remain here. Just in case something stupid comes to your chef's mind. "  
"I must contact him, so he can organize everything. Including a doctor and some supplies."

"Fine. You've got three minutes, and Marcos will keep you company." Ramirez pointed to the radio, and went out of the room.

"Is the jamming off?" she asked, trying to sound submissive. Marcos was dangerous to mess with, and liked to be in control.

"Talk…" he grumbled.

***

Captain Takawa made a few signals with his hand, that meant more or less 'move out, two groups, through the door'. He had a bad feeling about this, but ignoring orders was not seen well among his subordinates. He gathered his men around the back entrance and with a few moves of his palm gave orders to enter the building…

***

She called Aramaki, and explained the situation. She still could not reach the Major thought cyberbrain communication, but surely Aramaki could, and will pass the account to Kusanagi. She also mentioned that she was staying. Aramaki wasn't happy about it, but he understood the circumstances. He also promised that he will ask the Major to stay home, which meant that for now Section 9 will not attack, which was a relief. An assault could mess things up a bit.

"Good luck, Hana," for the first time he called her by her name.  
"Thanks, Chief."  
She was about to hung up, when suddenly she heard a shot. She looked at the door, and wanted to ask Marcos what was that, but then the door slammed open, hitting the wall behind it so hard, that the paint cracked.

"What's going on?!" asked Marcos, and Hana had the same question on her mind.

"A SWAT team rushed in! They shot Ramirez and Clara!" he shouted. Marco's face turned red, and he looked at Hana with hatred in his dark eyes.

"You bitch!" he shouted, jumping toward her "You knew this was going to happen all along!"

"Would I stay here so willingly, if I knew there was an assault?" she was speaking the truth, however she was capable of imagining was the situation looked like from his perspective. Marcos said something offensive – he was speaking Spanish now, but his tone was enough to understand.

"I'm going back… You know what to do!" said the other man, turned around and ran out. Marcos on the other hand remained surprisingly calm. He took his Beretta and a submachine gun. Then he loaded some little grey balls into a tote bag and Hana felt a child of fear. Hand grenades…  
Just great. How bad can it get?

"You'll come with me. They want dead bodies? They will get some," he said, taking hold of her arm and dragging her to another room. She heard gun shots on the lower floor. People were shouting in both Japanese, English and Spanish. Somebody else was simply screaming his head off, and she not want to know what happened to a man that was howling as he did.  
She tried to release herself, but Marcos just tightened his grip and stuck the barrel of his Beretta somewhere next to her spine.

"One suspicious move and I'll make sure that you'll have to get yourself a new spine" he growled, pushing her inside some room. Something hit her hip – for a moment she thought it was Marcos, but then she realised that she hit the hard floor. She did not try to get up, and looked around instead. This was the room where the hostages were kept. About a dozen people sat along the walls - some must have recognised her military outfit, because they were looking at her with hope, but she was feeling helpless. Her muay thai was nothing against a gun, especially since she would have to get as close as to use it. Marcos was not stupid and would rather shoot her on the spot, than let her get so close to him.

"You…", he said, pointing to a young woman. "Lock the door. Fast"  
The woman, trembling, obeyed and sat down again, tears running down her pale cheeks.

"Marcos, I had no idea…"Hana tried to explain, but he did not let her say another word.

"Shut up, you little bitch. You had to know. You're one of them." He pointed his gun at her and Hana calculated her chances for dodging if he wished to fire. She was smaller and probably faster than he was, but he had a submachine gun. She was not a cyborg and one bullet could do the job. Another matter was that could easily turn his weapon against the hostages, injure or kill someone before she would have the chance to act.

"Killing an officer on duty will not help you!"  
"I don't care. I don't matter… Only the cause matters!", he said. Great. Just great. Not only did he have grenades, but he was suicidal. She hated to be wrong…  
"Get up…" ordered Marcos.

"Shoot me first," she said, guessing that he wants to use her as a live shield. Despite no weapons, she still had good armour on, and her body was an extra protection against the bullets. Marcos frowned, and aimed at one of the women, who screamed and immediately burst into tears.

"Either you or her," he said dryly, and Hana felt she has no other choice. Marcos embraced her neck with his forearm and drew her close to him.

"Now, we go to hell together, girl…" the young man said, taking one of the grenades from the bag. Hana cursed her luck… She was hoping that she may just try and take his gun away, but even if she managed to do that, he could still have time to pull the pin from the grenade and blow them all to pieces. He had this thumb on the pin, so it would take less than a second…  
Hana felt his arm choking her and looked around the room for anything that could help, and her eyes rested on the windows. The blinds in one of the windows has not been drawn…

***

"_Major! I hear gunshots! Did you enter combat without my orders?" _ Aramaki felt cold running down his spine.

"_A stupid question. Of course not!"  
"It must be some other assault team!" _Ishikawa managed to break through the communication jamming. "_Shit! The team is in… Saito, can you tell what's happening inside?"_

" _Chief. It doesn't look good. The SWAT shot someone, but those guys were prepared and booby-trapped the doors. Now they are getting their butts' kicked!" _the explosion must have damaged the window, because the roller blinds were torn, and the sniper could now see what was going on inside. He didn't like what he saw. "_I think I see Morgan as well…_"

" _Get in there, and secure the hostage's safety, only then help the SWAT."_

"_Roger that! Section 9, move in! Saito, you have a green light!"_

"_Yes, sir!" _this was the occasion the sniper was waiting for…

***

She pretended to struggle, and was able to move him half a metre to the left, towards the window. He tightened his clutch and Hana felt that she could hardly breathe.

"What a shame. Such a temper…" he said, almost tenderly touching her hair. The sound of guns came nearer. The young man's heart was beating so hard, that she was able to feel it through his shirt and her jacket.

"Marcos… At least let those people go…"  
This time he did not even answer. With one move of his thumb he pulled the pin out… Hana held her breath, but at that moment she saw something … She was seeing the building, as if she was someone else, who was looking at it from a distance. She saw the window, Marcos' back and understood. Without further hesitation she reached out with both her hands, and took hold of his fist, holding so tight that her knuckles and fingers hurt.

"You little…!" he shouted, but never finished his insult. There was a crack of a window breaking, and something warm and thick splashed across Hana's cheek. Marcos' body stiffened and twitched, she felt a stab of pain in her arm as well, but she never let go of his hand. The weight of his body dragged her down to the floor and for a split second everything became black… But after a second she realised it was only because she had her eyes closed. When she opened them, she caught a glimpse of a red puddle around Marcos' head and realised they were lying in a pool of blood. Was it his or hers, she did not think about. She grabbed the pin, and with trembling hands secured the grenade, trying not to look at what was left of Marco's head.

She just managed to put the pin in its place, then all of a sudden the door opened, but she saw no one, and her hand reach out for Marco's Beretta…

"Morgan!" it was the Major's voice. Hana took a deep breath, realising she wasn't breathing for the past minute.

"What's the situation, Major?" she inquired, even though she could not see her commander.

"Clear, you can relax now…" the cyborg turned her camouflage off. Also Batou appeared at her side.

"Wow, that a mess…" he said, looking at Marco's body. "You are hurt too."  
Hana looked at her arm. It was bleeding, but it didn't look serious. It seemed that Saito's rifle had anti-cyborg ammo, so the bullet went past the terrorist's head as though cardboard, still having enough power to wound her.

"Just a scratch…" she said, standing up and combing her hair with her fingers. It was wet and muggy, so she looked at her palm. It was red with blood and covered with…

"Oh…" that was all she could utter. Batou noticed the expression on her face, looked at the body beneath their feet and almost immediately understood.

"Morgan, go and see a medic, okay?" he suggested..

"What's with her?" asked the Major, when the girl left.  
"I guess she was too close when Saito shot the guy."

"You mean that…"  
"_Whatever was in the guy's head, ended up on her_," they heard Saito on the comlink. "_That could give every normal human being a shock_."

"Gross…" Batou's face expressed disgust. Kusanagi looked at the body, coolly.

"I guess…" she sighed. "_Saito, you there?"_  
"_I'm packing up._"  
_"We're during an inspection of the building and securing the hostages. It will take another twenty minutes, so check on Morgan, will you_?"  
"_Sure. Over and out_!"

The sniper's voice faded in their ears, as they were looking at the battlefield. It really was a mess. Two of the SWAT team soldiers were dead, one was fighting for his life in the hospital, others, including a couple of hostages, were injured. Millions of yens in property destroyed. That was one of the worst operation they've come across, and someone's head should fall for that.

"Looks like they were really desperate" Paz walked into the room.  
"We were lucky too…" added Togusa "They had bombs all over the floor, but didn't have time to detonate. Borma is taking care of them."  
"Good. Did you find anyone else?"

"No one alive, I'm afraid. One body of a hostage."  
"I see. Let the forensics clean up here. I bet Chief's dying to have a chat with us."

***

The police sirens echoed somewhere in the city now, and the TV trucks went away to search for some fresher catastrophe. Hana sat on the steps of the ambulance, patiently waiting for the medic to put a wound dressing on her shoulder. The adrenalin rush was over and she now felt a dull hammering in her temples. The arm didn't hurt as much as she had expected. She could even move it, but after a try, she after all decided not to do that for a day or two and with no protests allowed the medic top put her arm in a sling. With a sigh she also took off her gloves. They were covered in blood. Marcos's blood. She man in the ambulance gave her a wet towel to clean her face, but she needed a shower really badly. She smelled of blood…  
The medic finished bandaging her.

"Try not to move that arm for a couple of days, and you'll be fine" he said. She nodded, but felt a bit dizzy, as if her inner ear labyrinth was going crazy.

"Hana?"

She opened her eyes and looked up. The first thing she saw was a green paper cup. And the hand holding the cup was Saito's, and suddenly the dizziness ceased. That was what she needed - a familiar face. She smiled, when he placed the cup in her hands and sat next to her.

"Major wanted to see if you are okay, and I thought you could use something warm to drink."

"Thanks. I guess I am fine. I just need a bath and a good night's sleep," she said, warming her hands against the cup.

"I've heard that you got hit," he pointed at the bandage. "Sorry for that, but as not sure if he was not a mercenary cyborg ."

"Changing to another type of ammo would take time, and that was one thing we were short of. It's nothing compared to being dead. It was good shot."

"Lousy shot, but glad to hear that" he almost smiled, but it was rather a shadow of a smile than the real thing.

"What happened? The assault…"

"It wasn't us. Section Six new jerk-in-command wanted some spotlight and decided to send in his men."  
"For cryin' out loud, where do they raise such morons?"

"If I knew, I'd as Borma to blow up the place. Feeling better?" he asked. She was, but it came to her mind that she could say 'no' just to stay here a few minutes longer. She felt secure just by sitting next to him, and… She shook off that feeling. She was old enough to take care of herself.

"Yes, I think so…" she said after a long pause.

"Great. We should catch up with the Major, or we'll be the ones writing a report."  
"Why is that?"

"Last one at the headquarters writes the stuff." He stood up and waited for her to come too, but she was still sitting on the ambulance's stair.

"Are you coming?"

"Yes, just… Saito?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…"  
He immediately knew she did not mean the tea, or at least not only that.  
"On the battlefield, even if it's as small as a building, the only two things you can count on, is your own skills and your friends. I just did what you would probably do for me, too," he explained. For a minute Hana was speechless, but then she smiled again, stood up and caught up with him. Even if she did not feel at home in Section 9 previously, it changed.

***

To be continued…

***

_Muay thai_ is called also _thai boxing, _so it's no error that was said in the first chapter. Those are two names of the same martial art.

A small disclaimer – I don't have anything against Spain. The HLF is a multi-national organization, so in Ramirez's group you could probably find any nation from Europe. Bear in mind that the hostages were from Spain too… If anyone felt offended, next time I'll make the terrorists Polish :P


End file.
